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Long-range atmospheric transport of microplastics across the southern hemisphere
Summary
Researchers conducted the first hemispheric-scale analysis of airborne microplastics, collecting samples along a cruise route from the Northern Hemisphere to Antarctica. They found microplastics present in the atmosphere over the Southern Ocean and near Antarctica, demonstrating that these particles can travel vast distances through the air. The study reveals that long-range atmospheric transport is a significant pathway for spreading microplastic pollution to even the most remote regions on Earth.
Airborne microplastics (MPs) can undergo long range transport to remote regions. Yet there is a large knowledge gap regarding the occurrence and burden of MPs in the marine boundary layer, which hampers comprehensive modelling of their global atmospheric transport. In particular, the transport efficiency of MPs with different sizes and morphologies remains uncertain. Here we show a hemispheric-scale analysis of airborne MPs along a cruise path from the mid-Northern Hemisphere to Antarctica. We present the inaugural measurements of MPs concentrations over the Southern Ocean and interior Antarctica and find that MPs fibers are transported more efficiently than MPs fragments along the transect, with the transport dynamics of MPs generally similar to those of non-plastic particles. Morphology is found to be the dominant factor influencing the hemispheric transport of MPs to remote Antarctic regions. This study underlines the importance of long-range atmospheric transport in MPs cycling dynamics in the environment.